Why are people so negative towards men and women --- who are IN LAW ENFORCEMENT....?

Question

Why -- because they are just human beings like you or me, the fact that they are called upon to deal with violent criminals and have to take lives and lose their lives to should make us care for them not be negative towards them or reject them, after all
apart from the fact that this man or women out there is in uniform --- they are just like you and I, in their private lives.......

Answer 1

This is an old arguement that will never end. My younger brother and I are both in law enforcement and my older brother is not. He tries to tell me all the time that "all cops are crooked" I ask him if he thinks I am crooked and he says "No, but all cops are crooked." I ask him if he believes that I am a cop and he says he does but sticks to his guns that all cops are crooked. This is the type of logic that we all have to deal with every day. There are crooked cops and I won't deny that but, there are also cops that are human and as such, make mistakes. There are also cops who are honest and good and make a concerted effort to obey the laws they enforce. Because of our status, we must hold to the higher standard. I have seen it both ways. I have seen cops get a slap on the wrist and I have seen them get the maximum penalty simply because of who they are. It is an imperfect world and will continue to be one.

Answer 2

many reasons

1/ Most people, 80 to 90% ,would break the law if they thought they could get away with it. Most won't because they are fairly certain they would be caught. They resent the Police that keep them from doing as they would like.

2/ To the majority of law abiding citizens the Police are a requirement of life . The Police are all that stands between the Criminal Element and the Potential Victims most law abiding citizens are. A great number of people resent the constant reminder of their own inadequacies and thus resent the Police.

3/ A large percentage of the Population behave like laws should apply to everybody EXCEPT THEM. These people get caught a lot of the time and resent the fact.

4/ Some people feel because they are statistically in the minority 10% they should not be getting the majority of speeding tickets. { the fact that the other 90% is driving at normal speeds as opposed to extreme speeds and constant traffic violations for example is a point they tend to overlook}

5/ Some Macho Idiots want the Police to go away so they can do things right and completely eliminate the criminal element. To them a Police Force is a waste of money and a poor substitute for what they believe to be a better solution.

6/ As repeated many times Most people have witnessed Police Ignoring the Laws they are supposed to enforce. While this may not represent the majority of Law Enforcement personnel It is a very common Point of view and does not generate any amount of respect. Those law enforcement personnel who will look the other way when a brother officer ignores the law further reduce the Credibility of police.

7/ I personally am aware of Police officers who have lied under oath to attain a conviction. If they do it once no question they will do it many times . This completley eliminates their credibility among anybody who is aware and of course further taints the reputation of the police.

8/ Many individuals would like to be Police Officers for whatever reason. A great many do not Qualify and will never attain that Goal. They can be deeply resentful of any legitimate officers.

9/ Many immigrants come from places where Police were not just law enforcement but a Tool of the state to control the people. Many abuses were suffered at their hands .
Those people suffer an understandable Fear of the Police though it probably is unfounded here.

10/ in some cases common Ethnic beliefs/habits/rituals Practiced for many generations may be suppressed by law enforcement and this leads to resentment.

11/ On occassion the police are too busy to respond quickly enough to a legitimate Complaint and the perpetrator escapes or cause more serious harm . The victims are naturally unhappy.

12/ In many places carrying a firarm is Illegal . The police get to do it all the time. More resentment.

Considering all the resntment and bad feelings directed towards them it is surprising anybody is at all interested in joining the force.
Mike

Answer 3

Probably because law enforcers are the ones who will have to tell you "NO" and slap you on the wrist when you do something wrong. (how hard a slap depends on what you do).
When I was young, the elder generation used to say things like, "Don't do anything wrong otherwise the policeman will take you away." Remarks like that made us children fear the police, and the act of doing anything wrong (whether it's a spelling mistake or breaking a plate).
That kind of thing could have continued to be in our mindset.
People thus throw a blanket definition and label them party-poopers, because they're the ones who make sure you can't just do whatever you want. (I'm referring of course to people like drug traffickers, human traffickers, murderers, thieves, rapists and other sex offenders, etc).
Other citizens are probably apathetic to law enforcers, and probably don't care much for them either way, until something bad happens to them and they need their help.

Answer 4

Well, since you asked THE SAME question in Law Enforcement, I will give you the same answer. Copy, pase, 2 points:

think there are several reasons as to why people have a negative view of law enforcement. One is a lot of cops say that "in an emergency, you want us there", but for 90+ percent of the people in the US at least, the only time you deal with cops is when they pull you over for some traffic offense. No one likes those, so, people get pissed. The next thing is watching those "guardians of the law" break the same ones they bust you for, knowing that since they are cops, it'll slide. My brother in-law is a cop for some podunk force in PA, with about 6 or 7 officers. The worst, most dangerous thing he has ever been involved with is some vandalism calls. Mainly, he cruises around and busts people for rolling stop signs, sits on speed traps, whatever. If there is a real crime, they call the State Police or the county Sheriff's department. That doesn't stop him from carrying his gun and badge around off duty, flagrantly breaking the same laws that he busts people for every day (he goes 95mph on the highway, will go right through a red light if there is no one coming, ect), because he knows that when he gets pulled over, he just has to flash his little badge, and the cop busting him will leave him alone. I went to his place one 4th of July, and he set off illegal fireworks. Now I do the same thing, but I asked him why he did it, since half his force was out issuing citations to people they caught. He just laughed and said that, well, he was a cop, they wouldn't write him one, and his off duty buddies were there laughing along with him.

Don't get me wrong, he is a nice guy, but when he is playing "cop", he acts like a little tin god. He tends to spout off that "I'm out there, risking my life every day" stuff too. I went to Afghanistan and Iraq as a Marine. He once caught a couple of 14 year old smoking a joint behind the local park's baseball field's dugout. Maybe if he was a Los Angeles PD, or Philly PD, or something like that, I would be a litte more impressed.

I once got pulled over down in North Carolina, and the cop that did it was so overweight and out of shape, that he was breathing heavily when he got to my window. It was March, but by the time he had taken my license back to his car, written out the ticket, and walked back, he was sweating and red faced from the exercise. He wasn't the most impressive physical specimen I had ever seen.

THIS DOES NOT MEAN I HATE COPS! It can be a tough, thankless job, and a dangerous one too. I think cops like to over play it a little, just like some of the Admin guys I knew in the Corps would. But every cop I know is guilty of some petty crap, and I'm sure some of them are guilty of much bigger things, and they know that the badge protects them. And that pisses me off.

EDIT: Tom, there is a 4th class of people. The Cops who figure that since they enforce the law, they don't have to follow it themselves.

Answer 5

Most people are not negative towards the police, only people who are criminal do. Many show disdain toward officers who place themselves above the law or in other ways do not act professionally but that would be toward the individual not the entire profession.
Often, we only encounter the police when we have broken the law or have been victimized and are already distraught. It is difficult to have a positive attittude in either circumstance.

For every rude or indifferent police officer, there are dozens of honest and caring ones who are truly working to serve the public.

Answer 6

People have a problem with rules, so in turn they always have a problem with those people that enforce the rules.
Rules = Bad so LE = Bad, that's the logic behind this. Yes it is really immature to not like someone because of the profession they choose. Law enforcement professionals have an obligation to uphold the laws that our law-makers have established and it is ridiculous that people "hate" on LE for that.

Answer 7

I am negative toward them because where I come from,they are as corrupt as the crooks out on the street,only they do what they want legally.The TBI just raided the jailhouse and busted some of the jailers for several different things,they were stealing items from the inmates,and abusing their power and mistreating the inmates.They had money to purchase cots for all inmates,but they did not,the inmates were forced to sleep on the concrete floor and no meds were given to the inmates who were sick with heart problems,seizures and lots of other problems.How can anyone have respect for that?

Answer 8

One time a boy and a girl were driving down a highway, wearing light jackets. It was mid-winter in Michigan, the temperature below zero. Suddenly, their car broke down. Since it was a lonely stretch of highway, they had to walk to reach a phone, since this was before cellphones.

A policeman pulled up alongside them and rolled down his window. They told him they were stranded and freezing cold and needed a ride to a gas station or anyplace with a phone.

"Get a taxi, sonny!" said the policeman as he drove away.

The young man was my son and his girlfriend. They walked a mile in subzero weather before reaching a phone.

I think perhaps you can figure out from this episode why some people have a negative outlook toward some policemen. Granted, policemen are not taxidrivers, but refusing to help a young teen couple stranded on a cold night is mighty heartless.

Many of the police are very belligerent with our younger people, frequently without reason. Because they handle cases where drugs and robbery and terrible violence are concerned, they get a negative attitude toward ALL young people. This fosters resentment on both sides.

I think it up to the police themselves to correct these images by remaining courteous and handling traffic stops and other activities in an intelligent way. As we rid our departments of the belligerent "good ole boy" redneck cops and get educated, intelligent officers, these problems will go away.

Answer 9

envy or disgust because some are aware that those in law enforcement are lenient to menial crimes committed by fellows. It's really hard for a cop to do his duty and be counter charged by those they apprehended.
Although it's illegal and immoral, I feel relief to a cop who asked for some "tokens" in exchange for a penalty on an offense i made. I wonder why some of those who give are angry afterwards. They don't need to be threatened or give any if there are no laws broken. One can always charge them and have them thrown out of the service.

Answer 10

Negative attitudes towards law enforcement is probably a result of negative attitudes towards the government. Police are highly visible, constant reminders of the influence of the state on our daily lives. People who feel abused, repressed, or disenfranchised by the state are likely to take out their frustration on the symbol of state power: law enforcement.